Medium transport apparatus and image reading apparatus

ABSTRACT

A medium transport apparatus includes a main body that is switchable between a first posture and a second posture and a rotatable route-forming member that forms an exterior of a turning route. The route-forming member couples a first transport route to a second transport route when the main body has the first posture and couples the first transport route to a third transport route when the main body has the second posture. The medium transport apparatus further includes a transport route switching section having a switching member that engages with both the body support and the route-forming member. In response to switching between the first posture and the second posture of the main body, engagement of the switching member with the main-body support changes to rotate the route-forming member and to switch the medium transport route to which the first transport route is coupled.

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JPApplication Serial Number 2022-008083, filed Jan. 21, 2022, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a medium transport apparatus thattransports a medium and to an image reading apparatus equipped with sucha medium transport apparatus.

2. Related Art

Sheet feed scanners (referred to below simply as scanners) are anexample of image reading apparatuses as well as an example of mediumtransport apparatuses that transport a medium. JP-A-2012-246099discloses a scanner with a small footprint, which includes a curvedtransport route inclined with respect to the horizontal surface. When asheet is transported along this transport route, it is turned and thenejected diagonally upward to the outside.

In the above scanner, the transport route is partly exposed so as to beswitchable between a curved path and a straight path. By switching thetransport route from the curved path to the straight path, the scannercan appropriately eject even hard or thick sheets. The scanner has alever in a curved member forming the curved path. A user can operatethis lever to switch the transport route between the curved path and thestraight path.

The disclosed scanner may fail to provide good usability because a userneeds to operate the lever in order to change the posture of the curvedmember. There is therefore a demand for a scanner with improvedusability, which allows a user to switch the posture of the curvedmember without performing a specific operation.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a mediumtransport apparatus includes: a main-body support mounted on aninstallation surface of the medium transport apparatus; and a main bodysupported by the main-body support. The main body includes: a firsttransport route along which a medium is to be transported; a secondtransport route that includes a turning route by which the medium beingtransported is to be turned upward and from which the medium that wasturned by the turning route is to be ejected, the second transport routebeing disposed downstream of the first transport route; a thirdtransport route from which the medium being transported is to be ejectedwithout being turned, the third transport route being disposeddownstream of the first transport route; and a transport route switchingsection that switches a medium transport route to which the firsttransport route is coupled, between the second transport route and thethird transport route. The main body is rotatably attached to themain-body support and is switchable between a first posture and a secondposture by being rotated. An angle between the first transport route andthe installation surface when the main body is switched to the firstposture is greater than the angle between the first transport route andthe installation surface when the main body is switched to the secondposture. The turning route has an exterior formed by a route-formingmember, the route-forming member being rotatable. When the main body isswitched to the first posture, the route-forming member has a firsttransport route coupling posture by which the first transport route iscoupled to the second transport route. When the main body is switched tothe second posture, the route-forming member has a second transportroute coupling posture by which the first transport route is coupled tothe third transport route. The transport route switching section has aswitching member that engages with both the main-body support and theroute-forming member, the switching member being a rotatable member. Inresponse to switching between the first posture and the second postureof the main body, engagement of the switching member with the main-bodysupport changes to rotate the route-forming member and to switch themedium transport route to which the first transport route is coupled.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a mediumtransport apparatus includes: a main-body support mounted on aninstallation surface of the medium transport apparatus; and a main bodysupported by the main-body support. The main body includes: a firsttransport route along which a medium is to be transported; a secondtransport route that includes a turning route by which the medium beingtransported is to be turned upward and from which the medium that wasturned by the turning route is to be ejected, the second transport routebeing disposed downstream of the first transport route; and a thirdtransport route from which the medium being transported is to be ejectedwithout being turned, the third transport route being disposeddownstream of the first transport route. The main body is rotatablyattached to the main-body support and is switchable between a firstposture and a second posture by being rotated. An angle between thefirst transport route and the installation surface when the main body isswitched to the first posture is greater than the angle between thefirst transport route and the installation surface when the main body isswitched to the second posture. A portion of the body support is aroute-forming section that forms an exterior of the turning route. Whenthe main body is switched to the first posture, the route-forming membercouples the first transport route to the second transport route. Whenthe main body is switched to the second posture, the route-formingmember couples the first transport route to the third transport route.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a mediumtransport apparatus includes: a main body that is a base component ofthe medium transport apparatus; and an exposing/hiding unit that isopened to expose or is closed to hide a portion of the main body. Themain body includes: a first transport route along which a medium is tobe transported; a second transport route that includes a turning routeby which the medium being transported is to be turned upward and fromwhich the medium that was turned by the turning route is to be ejected,the second transport route being disposed downstream of the firsttransport route; a third transport route from which the medium beingtransported is to be ejected without being turned, the third transportroute being disposed downstream of the first transport route; and atransport route switching section that switches a medium transport routeto which the first transport route is coupled, between the secondtransport route and the third transport route. The exposing/hiding unitexposes or hides an ejection port for the medium to be transported alongthe third transport route. The route-forming member is rotatable andforms an exterior of the turning route. When the exposing/hiding unit isclosed, the route-forming member has a first transport route couplingposture by which the first transport route is coupled to the secondtransport route. When the exposing/hiding unit is opened, theroute-forming member has a second transport route coupling posture bywhich the first transport route is coupled to the third transport route.The transport route switching section has a switching member thatengages with both the exposing/hiding unit and the route-forming member,the switching member being a rotatable member. In response to opening orclosing of the exposing/hiding unit, engagement of the switching memberwith the exposing/hiding unit changes to rotate the route-forming memberand to switch the medium transport route to which the first transportroute is coupled.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an image readingapparatus includes: one of the above medium transport apparatuses; and areader that reads a medium, the reader being disposed on the firsttransport route in the one of the medium transport apparatuses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a scanner with a main body beingin a regular reading posture.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the scanner with the main bodybeing in the regular reading posture.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the scanner with a third unitbeing open and with the main body being in the regular reading posture.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the scanner with a second unit beingopen and the main body being in the regular reading posture.

FIG. 5 is a side-sectional view of a document transport route inside thescanner with the main body being in the regular reading posture.

FIG. 6 is a side-sectional view of the document transport route insidethe scanner with the main body being in a booklet reading posture.

FIG. 7 is a side-sectional view of a transport route switching sectioninside the scanner with the flap having a first transport route couplingposture.

FIG. 8 is a side-sectional view of the transport route switching sectioninside the scanner with the flap having a second transport routecoupling posture.

FIG. 9 is another side-sectional view of the transport route switchingsection inside the scanner with the flap having the first transportroute coupling posture.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the flap and the switching member.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an outer configuration of the turningtransport route.

FIG. 12 is an exploded, plan view of the outer configuration of theturning transport route.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the flap having the first transportroute coupling posture and the turning route guide member.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the flap having the first transport routecoupling posture and the turning route guide member.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the flap and the turning route guide memberwhen the third unit is transited from the state of FIG. 14 to the openstate.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the flap having the first transportroute coupling posture, the turning route guide member, and the firstframe.

FIG. 17 is a side-sectional view of the flap having the second transportroute coupling posture and the turning route guide member.

FIG. 18 is another side-sectional view of the flap having the secondtransport route coupling posture and the turning route guide member.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the transport route switching section with theflap having the first transport route coupling posture.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the flap having the first transportroute coupling posture and the turning route guide member.

FIG. 21 is a side view of the transport route switching section with theflap having the second transport route coupling posture.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the flap having the second transportroute coupling posture and the turning route guide member.

FIG. 23 is a sectional view of a route-forming section that couples adocument reading route to a turning transport route.

FIG. 24 is a sectional view of the route-forming section that couplesthe document reading route to an unturning transport route.

FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a route-forming section that couples adocument reading route to a turning transport route.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Some aspects of the present disclosure will be described below.According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a mediumtransport apparatus includes: a main-body support mounted on aninstallation surface of the medium transport apparatus; and a main bodysupported by the main-body support. The main body includes: a firsttransport route along which a medium is to be transported; a secondtransport route that includes a turning route by which the medium beingtransported is to be turned upward and from which the medium that wasturned by the turning route is to be ejected, the second transport routebeing disposed downstream of the first transport route; a thirdtransport route from which the medium being transported is to be ejectedwithout being turned, the third transport route being disposeddownstream of the first transport route; and a transport route switchingsection that switches a medium transport route to which the firsttransport route is coupled, between the second transport route and thethird transport route. The main body is rotatably attached to themain-body support and is switchable between a first posture and a secondposture by being rotated. An angle between the first transport route andthe installation surface when the main body is switched to the firstposture is greater than the angle between the first transport route andthe installation surface when the main body is switched to the secondposture. The turning route has an exterior formed by a route-formingmember, the route-forming member being rotatable. When the main body isswitched to the first posture, the route-forming member has a firsttransport route coupling posture by which the first transport route iscoupled to the second transport route. When the main body is switched tothe second posture, the route-forming member has a second transportroute coupling posture by which the first transport route is coupled tothe third transport route. The transport route switching section has aswitching member that engages with both the main-body support and theroute-forming member, the switching member being a rotatable member. Inresponse to switching between the first posture and the second postureof the main body, engagement of the switching member with the main-bodysupport changes to rotate the route-forming member and to switch themedium transport route to which the first transport route is coupled.

In a medium transport apparatus of the first aspect, the engagement of aswitching member with a main-body support changes in response to theswitching between a first posture and a second posture of the main body,thereby rotating a route-forming member and switching a medium transportroute to which a first transport route is coupled. This configurationselects an appropriate medium transport route in accordance with theposture of the main body without involving a specific operation ofswitching the posture of the route-forming member; it is thereforepossible to provide improved usability.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the mediumtransport apparatus may have, in addition to the configuration of thefirst aspect, a configuration in which the transport route switchingsection includes a first pushing member and a second pushing member, thefirst pushing member being configured to push the route-forming memberso as to have the first transport route coupling posture, the secondpushing member being configured to push the switching member in adirection in which the switching member pushes the route-forming memberso as to have the second transport route coupling posture. Pushing forceof the second pushing member may be greater than pushing force of thefirst pushing member. When the main body is switched to the firstposture, the switching member may abut against the main-body support andmay not push the route-forming member, and the route-forming member mayreceive the pushing force of the first pushing member and may have thefirst transport route coupling posture. When the main body is switchedto the second posture, the switching member may move away from themain-body support and may push the route-forming member against thepushing force of the first pushing member, and the route-forming membermay have the second transport route coupling posture.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the mediumtransport apparatus may have, in addition to the configuration of thefirst aspect, a configuration in which the transport route switchingsection includes a first pushing member and a second pushing member, thefirst pushing member being configured to push the route-forming memberso as to have the first transport route coupling posture, the secondpushing member being configured to push the switching member in adirection in which the switching member pushes the route-forming memberso as to have the second transport route coupling posture. The firstpushing member may be attached to both the switching member and theroute-forming member. When the main body is switched to the firstposture, the switching member may abut against the main-body support,and the route-forming member may receive the pushing force of the firstpushing member and have the first transport route coupling posture. Whenthe main body is switched to the second posture, the switching membermay move away from the main-body support and push the route-formingmember, and the route-forming member may have the second transport routecoupling posture.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the mediumtransport apparatus may further include, in addition to theconfiguration of the third aspect, a turning route guide member thatreceives a medium from the route-forming member and guides the medium ina downstream direction, the turning route guide member being a memberforming the exterior of the turning route, the turning route guidemember being disposed downstream of the route-forming member. Each ofthe route-forming member and the turning route guide member may have aplurality of teeth arranged in a width direction, the width directionintersecting a transport direction of the medium. Lower ends of theteeth of the route-forming member may engage with upper ends of theteeth of the turning route guide member, and at least some of the teetharranged in the width direction may be coupled together.

If a route-forming member is deformed by receiving force from a medium,a reverse step may be formed between the route-forming member and aturning route guide member, in which case an upstream portion of thedocument might be stuck. In the medium transport apparatus of the fourthaspect, however, even if a route-forming member is deformed by receivingforce from a medium, a turning route guide member is also deformedtogether. This is because lower ends of the teeth of the route-formingmember engage with upper ends of the teeth of the turning route guidemember, and at least some of the teeth arranged in the width directionare coupled together. This configuration therefore can suppress suchreverse steps from being formed, thereby helping to smoothly feed amedium from the route-forming member to the turning route guide member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the mediumtransport apparatus may have, in addition to the configuration of thefourth aspect, a configuration in which the main body includes a firstunit, a second unit, and a third unit. The second unit may be operableor closable by being rotated relative to the first unit and configuredto form the first transport route with the first unit when in a closedstate. The third unit may be operable or closable by being rotatedrelative to both the first unit and the second unit and configured toform the second transport route with both the first unit and the secondunit when in a closed state. The route-forming member may be disposedinside the first unit. The turning route guide member may be disposedinside the third unit so as to be rotatable relative to the third unit.The route-forming member may be coupled to the turning route guidemember via a coupler. The coupler may include a projection and a groove,the projection being formed in one of the route-forming member and theturning route guide member, the groove being formed in the other of theroute-forming member and the turning route guide member, the projectionbeing inserted into the groove. When the third unit is opened or closedby being rotated relative to the first unit, the turning route guidemember may rotate relative to the third unit, and the projection mayslide along the groove.

When a third unit is rotated and opened, some of the couplers thatcouple a route-forming member to a turning route guide member may bedamaged because the route-forming member is disposed inside the firstunit, and the turning route guide member is disposed inside the thirdunit. In the medium transport apparatus of the fifth aspect, however, acoupler includes a projection and a groove. Thus, even when the thirdunit is rotated relative to both the first unit and the second unit, theturning route guide member rotates relative to the third unit, and theprojection slides along the groove. This configuration therefore reducesthe risk of the coupler being damaged.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the mediumtransport apparatus may have, in addition to the configuration of thefourth or fifth aspect, a configuration in which, when the firsttransport route is coupled to the second transport route, a firstsurface of a medium is guided by an upstream guide member disposedupstream of the route-forming member, then guided by both theroute-forming member and the turning route guide member, after which thefirst surface is guided by a downstream guide member disposed downstreamof the turning route guide member, the first surface of the medium beingone surface of the medium. The upstream guide member may have aplurality of upstream ribs that extend in the transport direction of themedium and that are arranged in the width direction. The downstreamguide member may have a plurality of downstream ribs that extend in thetransport direction of the medium and that are arranged in the widthdirection. In a direction normal to the surface of the medium, theupstream ribs and the downstream ribs may be lower than the teeth of theroute-forming member and may also be lower than the teeth of the turningroute guide member.

According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, the mediumtransport apparatus may have, in addition to the configuration of one ofthe second to sixth aspects, a configuration in which, in a directionnormal to a surface of a medium being transported along the firsttransport route, a rotational center of the route-forming member ispositioned adjacent to an ejection port with respect to the firsttransport route, the medium to be ejected from the third transport routevia the ejection port.

According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the mediumtransport apparatus may have, in addition to the configuration of one ofthe second to seventh aspects, a configuration in which, in a directionnormal to a surface of a medium being transported along the firsttransport route, a rotational center of the switching member may bepositioned apart from the first transport route and adjacent to theturning route.

According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a mediumtransport apparatus includes: a main-body support mounted on aninstallation surface of the medium transport apparatus; and a main bodysupported by the main-body support. The main body includes: a firsttransport route along which a medium is to be transported; a secondtransport route that includes a turning route by which the medium beingtransported is to be turned upward and from which the medium that wasturned by the turning route is to be ejected, the second transport routebeing disposed downstream of the first transport route; and a thirdtransport route from which the medium being transported is to be ejectedwithout being turned, the third transport route being disposeddownstream of the first transport route. The main body is rotatablyattached to the main-body support and is switchable between a firstposture and a second posture by being rotated. An angle between thefirst transport route and the installation surface when the main body isswitched to the first posture is greater than the angle between thefirst transport route and the installation surface when the main body isswitched to the second posture. A portion of the body support is aroute-forming section that forms an exterior of the turning route. Whenthe main body is switched to the first posture, the route-forming membercouples the first transport route to the second transport route. Whenthe main body is switched to the second posture, the route-formingmember couples the first transport route to the third transport route.

In a medium transport apparatus of any of the seventh to ninth aspects,a medium transport route to which a first transport route is coupled isswitched between a second transport route and a third transport route.This configuration selects an appropriate medium transport route inaccordance with the posture of the main body without involving aspecific operation of switching the posture of the route-forming member;it is therefore possible to provide improved usability.

According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a mediumtransport apparatus includes: a main body that is a base component ofthe medium transport apparatus; and an exposing/hiding unit that isopened to expose or is closed to hide a portion of the main body. Themain body includes: a first transport route along which a medium is tobe transported; a second transport route that includes a turning routeby which the medium being transported is to be turned upward and fromwhich the medium that was turned by the turning route is to be ejected,the second transport route being disposed downstream of the firsttransport route; a third transport route from which the medium beingtransported is to be ejected without being turned, the third transportroute being disposed downstream of the first transport route; and atransport route switching section that switches a medium transport routeto which the first transport route is coupled, between the secondtransport route and the third transport route. The exposing/hiding unitexposes or hides an ejection port for the medium to be transported alongthe third transport route. The route-forming member is rotatable andforms an exterior of the turning route. When the exposing/hiding unit isclosed, the route-forming member has a first transport route couplingposture by which the first transport route is coupled to the secondtransport route. When the exposing/hiding unit is opened, theroute-forming member has a second transport route coupling posture bywhich the first transport route is coupled to the third transport route.The transport route switching section has a switching member thatengages with both the exposing/hiding unit and the route-forming member,the switching member being a rotatable member. In response to opening orclosing of the exposing/hiding unit, engagement of the switching memberwith the exposing/hiding unit changes to rotate the route-forming memberand to switch the medium transport route to which the first transportroute is coupled.

Opening an exposing/hiding unit results in the exposure of a thirdtransport route. In a medium transport apparatus of the tenth aspect,the engagement of the switching member with the exposing/hiding unitchanges in response to the opening/closing of the exposing/hiding unit,thereby rotating a route-forming member and switching a medium transportroute to which a first transport route is coupled. This configurationselects an appropriate medium transport route in accordance with theposture of the main body without involving a specific operation ofswitching the posture of the route-forming member; it is thereforepossible to provide improved usability.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, an imagereading apparatus includes: one of the medium transport apparatuses ofthe first to tenth aspects; and a reader that reads a medium, the readerbeing disposed on the first transport route in the one of the mediumtransport apparatuses.

The image reading apparatus of the eleventh aspect can produce theeffects of the first to tenth aspects.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings. A scanner 1 is an example of animage reading apparatus configured to read a first surface and/or asecond surface of a document. The scanner 1 may be a sheet feed scannerthat moves a document (an example of a medium) to a reader and reads itwith the reader. The scanner 1 is also an example of a medium transportapparatus configured to transport a document. Herein, the document maybe in a sheet, card, booklet, or other form.

The individual drawings employ an X-Y-Z coordinate system: the X-axisextends along the width of the scanner 1 or the width of a document; theY-axis extends along the depth of the scanner 1; and the Z-axis extendsalong the height of the scanner 1. In this embodiment, the directionfrom the rear to front of the scanner 1 is defined as the +Y direction;the direction from the front to rear of the scanner 1 is defined as the−Y direction; the direction from the right to left of the scanner 1 asviewed from the front is defined as the +X direction or the widthdirection; and the direction from the left to right of the scanner 1 asviewed from the front is defined as the −X direction. Hereinafter, asappropriate, the transport direction of a document is referred to as thedownstream direction; the opposite direction is referred to as theupstream direction. In the embodiments described below, the samecomponents are given identical references and thus will not be describedagain.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 or 2 , the scanner 1 includes: a main body 2;and a main-body support 6 that rotatably supports the main body 2. Themain body 2 includes a first unit 3, a second unit 4, and a third unit5.

Each of the second unit 4 and the third unit 5 is disposed rotatablyaround a frame rotation shaft 64 a (see FIG. 3 ) disposed atsubstantially the center of the rotational axis parallel to the X-axis.Both of the second unit 4 and the third unit 5 are thus configured torotate together around the frame rotation shaft 64 a (see FIG. 4 )relative to the first unit 3. Reference 8 a denotes an unlockingsection. By sliding this unlocking section in the −X direction, a usercan unlock both the second unit 4 and the third unit 5 that have beenfixed to the first unit 3. In addition, by rotating both the second unit4 and the third unit 5 relative to the first unit 3, the user can partlyexpose a document transport route, as illustrated in FIG. 4 . Morespecifically, the user can expose a document feeding route R1 and adocument reading route R2 (described later) of the document transportroute.

The third unit 5 is configured to rotate around the frame rotation shaft64 a (see FIG. 3 ) relative to both the first unit 3 and the second unit4. By rotating the third unit 5 relative to both the first unit 3 andthe second unit 4, the user can partly expose another portion of thedocument transport route, as illustrated in FIG. 3 . More specifically,the user can expose a turning transport route R3 (described later) ofthe document transport route.

The main body 2 is configured to rotate relative to the main-bodysupport 6 around a body rotation shaft 6 c (see FIGS. 5 and 6 ). In thisembodiment, the main body 2 can be rotated and switched between twopostures: a regular reading posture as illustrated in FIG. 5 and abooklet reading posture as illustrated in FIG. 6 . The regular readingposture is an example of a first posture, whereas the booklet readingposture is an example of a second posture. As described later, when themain body 2 is switched to the first posture, the document reading routeR2 is coupled to the turning transport route R3. When the main body 2 isswitched to the second posture, the document reading route R2 is coupledto an unturning transport route R4 (see FIG. 6 ).

In this embodiment, to switch between the regular reading posture andthe booklet reading posture of the main body 2, the user needs to applyexternal force to the main body 2. The main body 2 can be kept in theregular reading posture or the booklet reading posture by a dedicatedsnap-fit (not illustrated). In addition, for the purpose of facilitatinga user's switching operation, the main body 2 may have a handhold.However, the posture of the main body 2 does not necessarily have to beswitched by external force from the user. Alternatively, the posture ofthe main body 2 may be switched by virtue of the power of a motor.

The angle between the document reading route R2 (described later) and aninstallation surface G (described later) of the scanner 1 can beswitched between an angle α1 as illustrated in FIG. 5 or an angle α2 asillustrated in FIG. 6 . The angle α2 formed upon the booklet readingposture is smaller than the angle α1 formed upon the regular readingposture. When the main body 2 is switched to the regular readingposture, the projected area of the main body 2 on the installationsurface G, namely, the footprint of the main body 2 becomes smaller. Thefootprint of the main body 2 discussed herein refers to the area on theX-Y plane occupied by the main body 2 as viewed from the top. Theregular reading posture is suitable for reading a soft or thin document,such as a paper sheet, that is likely to be folded or crashed, whereasthe booklet reading posture is suitable for reading a hard or thickdocument, such as a plastic card or a booklet, that is less likely to befolded or crashed.

As can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6 , the angle between a document support11 and the installation surface G when the main body 2 is switched tothe booklet reading posture is smaller than that when it is switched tothe regular reading posture. In other words, as can be seen from FIGS. 5and 6 , the angle between the document reading route R2 and theinstallation surface G when the main body 2 is switched to the bookletreading posture is smaller than that when it is switched to the regularreading posture. In other words, as can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6 , theangle between the installation surface G and the straight line drawn byconnecting the locations at which a first transport roller pair 16(described later) nips a document and at which a second transport rollerpair 20 (described later) nips the document when the main body 2 isswitched to the booklet reading posture is smaller than that when it isswitched to the regular reading posture.

The scanner 1 further includes a front panel having an operating section7 with a power button and some other operation buttons. As illustratedin FIG. 2 , the scanner 1 further includes a first connection 71, asecond connection 72, and a third connection 73 on a +X-side surfacethereof, which is one of the outer surfaces. The first connection 71 maybe a connection port to which a connection target such as a USB Type-Aplug (not illustrated) is to be coupled. The second connection 72 may bea connection port to which another connection target such as a USBType-C plug (not illustrated) is to be coupled. The third connection 73may be a connection port to which a power plug (not illustrated) viawhich electric power is supplied to the main body 2 is to be coupled.The USB is an abbreviation for universal serial bus, and Type-A andType-C are types specified in the USB standard.

Via the first connection 71, the main body 2 may be coupled to anexternal apparatus or a storage medium such as a USB memory by a USBcable (not illustrated). In addition, a controller (not illustrated) maystore read data in the storage medium coupled to the main body 2 via thefirst connection 71. Via the second connection 72, the main body 2 maybe coupled to an external apparatus by a USB cable (not illustrated).All of the first connection 71, the second connection 72, and the thirdconnection 73 may be mounted on a circuit board (not illustrated)disposed adjacent to the rear of the scanner 1. In this embodiment, viathe second connection 72, the main body 2 may be supplied with electricpower from an external apparatus.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 , a configuration of the documenttransport route inside the scanner 1 will be described below. Thedocument support 11 supports a document P in an inclined posture beforethe document P is transported along the document transport route. Whenthe document support 11 supports a plurality of documents P thereon, thefeed roller 14 feeds only the uppermost one in the downstream direction.The document support 11 is disposed in an upper opening/closing section10, which is configured to rotate around a rotation shaft (notillustrated) to hide or expose a supply port 13. In FIG. 1 , the upperopening/closing section 10 is closed; in FIG. 2 , the upperopening/closing section 10 is open. The upper opening/closing section 10may be a component of the first unit 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the document support 11 has a pair of edgeguides 12 a and 12 b that guide both sides of the document P. Each ofthe edge guides 12 a and 12 b is disposed slidably along the width ofthe document P, or in the ±X directions. The edge guides 12 a and 12 bare interlocked by a rack and pinon mechanism (not illustrated) so thatthey can move toward or away from each other relative to the center ofthe document P in the width direction of the document P. In short, thescanner 1 employs the center feed system.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the scanner 1 further includes a feedroller 14 inside the second unit 4. The feed roller 14 rotates by virtueof the power of a motor (not illustrated). The scanner 1 furtherincludes a separation roller 15 opposite the feed roller 14 inside thefirst unit 3. The separation roller 15 receives rotation torque from atorque limiter (not illustrated) to suppress multi-feeding of documents.As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the feed roller 14 is disposed atsubstantially the center of the second unit 4 in the width direction ofa document P; likewise, the separation roller 15 is disposed atsubstantially the center of the first unit 3 in the with direction ofthe document P. In this case, the separation roller 15 is optional;alternatively, a separation pad may be disposed. In this embodiment,when a plurality of documents P are stacked on the document support 11,the feed roller 14 is positioned above the documents P and sequentiallyfeeds them from the uppermost one. This configuration, however, isoptional; alternatively, the feed roller 14 is disposed below thedocuments P stacked on the document support 11 and sequentially feedsthem from the lowermost one.

The separation roller 15 can be coupled to the torque limiter via a gear(not illustrated). This gear is displaced by a solenoid (notillustrated) so that the separation roller 15 can switch between twostates: a separation state where the separation roller 15 is coupled tothe torque limiter and separates a plurality of documents P from oneanother; and a non-separation state where the separation roller 15 isdecoupled from the torque limiter and does not separate the documents P.The solenoid is controlled by the controller (not illustrated) in such away that the separation roller 15 enters the separation state when themain body 2 is switched to the regular reading posture and, in turn,enters the non-separation state when the main body 2 is switched to thebooklet reading posture.

The first transport roller pair 16 is disposed downstream of both thefeed roller 14 and the separation roller 15. The first transport rollerpair 16 includes: a pair of first lower rollers 17 disposed inside thefirst unit 3; and a pair of first upper rollers 18 disposed inside thesecond unit 4. The first upper rollers 18 are movable toward or awayfrom the corresponding first lower rollers 17 and are pressed againstthe first lower rollers 17 by a pushing member such as a coil spring.The first lower rollers 17 and the first upper rollers 18 rotate byvirtue of the power of one or more motors (not illustrated). Asillustrated in FIG. 4 , the first lower rollers 17 are arrangedsymmetrically with respect to the center of the first unit 3 in thewidth direction of the document P; likewise, the first upper rollers 18are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the second unit4 in the width direction of the document P. By closing the second unit4, the first upper rollers 18 comes into contact with the correspondingfirst lower rollers 17. By opening the second unit 4, the first upperrollers 18 become separated from the corresponding first lower rollers17.

A first reader 32 and a second reader 33 are disposed downstream of thefirst transport roller pair 16 so as to face each other. The firstreader 32 is disposed inside the first unit 3, whereas the second reader33 is disposed inside the second unit 4. The first reader 32 reads alower surface (first surface) of the document P supported by thedocument support 11, whereas the second reader 33 reads an upper surface(second surface) of the document P supported by the document support 11.The second reader 33 is movable toward or away from the first reader 32and is pressed against the first reader 32 by a pushing member (notillustrated) such as a coil spring. In this embodiment, each of thefirst reader 32 and the second reader 33 may be a contact image sensormodule (CISM). Reference 32 a denotes a contact glass of the firstreader 32; reference 33 a denotes a contact glass of the second reader33.

The second transport roller pair 20 is disposed downstream of both thefirst reader 32 and the second reader 33. The second transport rollerpair 20 includes: a pair of second lower rollers 21 disposed inside thefirst unit 3; and a pair of second upper rollers 22 disposed inside thesecond unit 4. The second upper rollers 22 are movable toward or awayfrom the corresponding second lower rollers 21 and are pressed againstthe second lower rollers 21 by a pushing member (not illustrated) suchas a coil spring. The second lower rollers 21 and the second upperrollers 22 rotate by virtue of the power of one or more motors (notillustrated). As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the second lower rollers 21 arearranged symmetrically with respect to substantially the center of thefirst unit 3 in the width direction of the document P; likewise, thesecond upper rollers 22 are arranged symmetrically with respect tosubstantially the center of the second unit 4 in the width direction ofthe document P. By closing the second unit 4, the second lower rollers21 comes into contact with the corresponding second upper rollers 22. Byopening the second unit 4, the second upper rollers 22 becomes separatedfrom the corresponding second lower rollers 21.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 , the alternate long and short dash line denoted by R1indicates the document feeding route, which extends from the niplocation between the feed roller 14 and the separation roller 15 to thenip location of the first transport roller pair 16. In FIGS. 5 and 6 ,the broken line denoted by R2 indicates the document reading route,which extends from the nip location of the first transport roller pair16 to the nip location of the second transport roller pair 20. Thedocument reading route R2, which is an example of a first transportroute, is formed between the first reader 32 and the second reader 33.

When the main body 2 is switched to the regular reading posture, asillustrated in FIG. 5 , the turning transport route R3, by which a readdocument P is to be turned upward and from which it is ejected to theoutside, is formed downstream of the document reading route R2. Theturning transport route R3 extends from the nip location of the secondtransport roller pair 20 to the nip location of a fourth transportroller pair 28. The turning transport route R3 is a document transportroute by which the document that has been transported obliquely downwardis to be turned upward and from which it is ejected obliquely upward tothe outside via a first ejection port 75, as indicated by the alternatelong and two short dashes line in FIG. 5 . The turning transport routeR3 is an example of a second transport route. In this embodiment, theturning transport route R3 has a turning route by which an entiredocument P being transported is turned upward. The turning transportroute R3, however, may include a straight transport route in addition tothis turning route. After having been ejected obliquely upward from theturning transport route R3 to the outside via the first ejection port75, the document is supported in an inclined posture by a +Y-sidesurface 4 a of the second unit 4.

When the main body 2 is switched to the booklet reading posture, asillustrated in FIG. 6 , the unturning transport route R4, from which aread document is to be ejected to the outside without being turned, isformed downstream of the document reading route R2. The unturningtransport route R4 is a document transport route formed downstream ofthe nip location of the second transport roller pair 20. In addition,the unturning transport route R4 is also a document transport route fromwhich a document that has been transported obliquely downward is to beejected obliquely downward to the outside via a second ejection port 76without being turned, as indicated by the alternate long and two shortdashes line in FIG. 6 . The unturning transport route R4 is an exampleof a third transport route from which a document being transported is tobe ejected to the outside without being turned. The second transportroller pair 20 serves as an ejection roller that ejects a document thathas been transported along the unturning transport route R4 to theoutside.

A third transport roller pair 24 and the fourth transport roller pair 28are disposed on the turning transport route R3. The third transportroller pair 24 includes: a pair of third drive rollers 25 disposedinside the third unit 5; and a pair of third driven rollers 26 disposedinside the second unit 4. The third driven rollers 26 are movable towardor away from the corresponding third drive rollers 25 and are pressedagainst the third drive rollers 25 by a pushing member (not illustrated)such as a coil spring. The third drive rollers 25 may be driven by amotor (not illustrated), whereas each third driven roller 26 may be adriven rotating roller.

The fourth transport roller pair 28 includes: a pair of fourth driverollers 29 disposed inside the third unit 5; and a pair of fourth drivenrollers 30 disposed inside the second unit 4. The fourth driven rollers30 are movable toward or away from the corresponding fourth driverollers 29 and are pressed against the fourth drive rollers 29 by apushing member (not illustrated) such as a coil spring. The fourth driverollers 29 may be driven by a motor (not illustrated), whereas eachfourth driven roller 30 may be a driven rotating roller.

First Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 5 to 10 , a first embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described below regarding a configuration ofselectively coupling the document reading route R2 to either the turningtransport route R3 or the unturning transport route R4. First, anoutline of the configuration in the first embodiment will be describedbelow. The turning transport route R3 has an exterior formed by a flap34, which is rotatable. When the main body 2 is switched to the regularreading posture, the flap 34 has a first transport route couplingposture (FIGS. 5, 7 , and 9) by which the document reading route R2 iscoupled to the turning transport route R3. When the main body 2 isswitched to the booklet reading posture, the flap 34 has a secondtransport route coupling posture (FIGS. 6 and 8 ) by which the documentreading route R2 is coupled to the unturning transport route R4. Theposture of the flap 34 is switched by a transport route switchingsection 40A. The transport route switching section 40A includes aswitching member 41, which is a rotatable member configured to engageboth the main-body support 6 and the flap 34. In response to theswitching of the posture of the main body 2, the engagement of theswitching member 41 with the main-body support 6 changes, therebyrotating the flap 35 to switch between the transport route to which thedocument reading route R2 is coupled. This configuration selects anappropriate transport route in accordance with the posture of the mainbody 2 without involving a specific operation of switching the postureof the flap 34; it is therefore possible to provide improved usability.

The transport route switching section 40A includes a first spring 45 anda second spring 46. The first spring 45 pushes the flap 34 so as to havethe first transport route coupling posture, whereas the second spring 46pushes the switching member 41 in the direction in which the switchingmember 41 pushes the flap 34 so as to have the second transport routecoupling posture. The first spring 45 is an example of a first pushingmember, whereas the second spring 46 is an example of a second pushingmember. The pushing force of the second spring 46 is greater than thatof the first spring 45. When the main body 2 is switched to the regularreading posture, the switching member 41 abuts against the main-bodysupport 6 and does not push the flap 34. As a result, the flap 34receives the pushing force of the first spring 45 and has the firsttransport route coupling posture. When the main body 2 is switched tothe booklet reading posture, the switching member 41 moves away from themain-body support 6 and pushes the flap 34 against the pushing force ofthe first spring 45. As a result, the flap 34 has the second transportroute coupling posture.

Next, details of the above configuration will be described below. Asillustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the flap 34 is rotatable around a flaprotation shaft 34 a. The flap 34 can rotate to switch between the firsttransport route coupling posture (see FIG. 5 ) by which the documentreading route R2 is coupled to the turning transport route R3 and thesecond transport route coupling posture (FIG. 6 ) by which the documentreading route R2 is coupled to the unturning transport route R4. When inthe first transport route coupling posture, the flap 34 partly coversthe unturning transport route R4 as viewed from the +X or −X direction.The expression “the document reading route R2 is coupled to the turningtransport route R3” herein means that the turning transport route R3 isswitched to a usable state, and the unturning transport route R4 iscovered and thus switched to an unusable state. The expression “thedocument reading route R2 is coupled to the unturning transport routeR4” herein means that the unturning transport route R4 is switched to ausable state, and the turning transport route R3 is covered and thusswitched to an unusable state.

As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the switching member 41 is disposed on the−X-side of the flap 34 so as to be rotatable around the flap rotationshaft 34 a. The switching member 41 rotates clockwise on the page ofFIG. 7 or 8 so that a pushing surface 41 a (FIG. 10 ) can push a pushedsurface 34 d of the flap 34. In the state of FIG. 10 , a space S ispresent between the pushing surface 41 a and the pushed surface 34 d,and the pushing surface 41 a does not push the pushed surface 34 d. Whenthe space S disappears, the pushing surface 41 a starts pushing thepushed surface 34 d. The direction in which the pushing surface 41 apushes the pushed surface 34 d coincides with the direction in which theflap 34 moves to have the second transport route coupling posture (i.e.,the counterclockwise direction on the page of FIG. 7 or 8 ).

The second spring 46, which may be a torsion spring in this embodiment,is disposed around the flap rotation shaft 34 a and pushes the switchingmember 41 in the counterclockwise direction on the page of FIG. 7 or 8 .Of the second spring 46, a first end is attached to the switching member41, and a second end is attached to a spring fixture (not illustrated)of the first unit 3.

The −X-side of the flap 34 is provided with an arm 34 b, the upperportion of which has a spring fixture 34 c. As illustrated in FIG. 9 ,the first unit 3 has a spring fixture 62. The first spring 45 isdisposed between the spring fixture 62 and the spring fixture 34 c ofthe flap 34. In this embodiment, the first spring 45 may be a helicalextension spring. The first spring 45 pushes the flap 34 (in theclockwise direction on the page of FIG. 9 ) so as to have the firsttransport route coupling posture.

In the state of FIG. 7 , namely, in the state where the main body 2 isin the regular reading posture, the switching member 41 abuts against anabutment 6 a of the main-body support 6, thereby suppressing theswitching member 41 from rotating counterclockwise against the pushingforce of the second spring 46. In this case, the space S is presentbetween the pushing surface 41 a and the pushed surface 34 d asillustrated in FIG. 10 , and the switching member 41 does not push theflap 34. As a result, the flap 34 receives the pushing force of thefirst spring 45 and abuts against a limiter 63 b of a first frame 63. Inthis way, the flap 34 has the first transport route coupling posture. Itshould be noted that the space S does not necessarily have to be presentbetween the pushing surface 41 a and the pushed surface 34 d when themain body 2 has the regular reading posture.

When the main body 2 that has been in the state of FIG. 7 is rotated andswitched to the booklet reading posture, the switching member 41 movesaway from the abutment 6 a. As a result, the switching member 41receives the pushing force of the second spring 46 in thecounterclockwise direction on the page of FIG. 8 . The pushing forceapplied counterclockwise by the second spring 46 to the switching member41 is greater than that applied clockwise by the first spring 45 to theflap 34. In short, when the main body 2 that has been in the state ofFIG. 7 is rotated and switched to the booklet reading posture, theswitching member 41 pushes the flap 34 counterclockwise against thepushing force of the first spring 45, as can be seen from the differencein state between FIGS. 7 and 8 . In this way, the flap 34 has the secondtransport route coupling posture. The second transport route couplingposture of the flap 34 is controlled by the abutting of the flap 34 on asecond frame 64, which is a base component of the second unit 4.

When the main body 2 is switched from the booklet reading posture (seeFIG. 8 ) to the regular reading posture (see FIG. 7 ), the switchingmember 41 abuts against the abutment 6 a and rotates clockwise. Theswitching member 41 then stops pushing the flap 34 and has the firsttransport route coupling posture (see FIG. 7 ).

Second Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 11 to 22 , a second embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described below regarding a configuration ofselectively coupling a document reading route R2 to either a turningtransport route R3 or an unturning transport route R4. First, an outlineof the configuration in the second embodiment will be described below. Aturning transport route R3 has an exterior formed by a flap 35, which isrotatable. When a main body 2 is switched to a regular reading posture,the flap 35 has a first transport route coupling posture (FIGS. 13, 14,16, 19, and 20 ) by which the document reading route R2 is coupled tothe turning transport route R3. When the main body 2 is switched to abooklet reading posture, the flap 35 has a second transport routecoupling posture (FIGS. 17, 18, 21, and 22 ) by which the documentreading route R2 is coupled to the unturning transport route R4. Theposture of the flap 35 is switched by a transport route switchingsection 40B. The transport route switching section 40B includes aswitching member 47, which is a rotatable member configured to engageboth a main-body support 6A and the flap 35. In response to theswitching of the posture of the main body 2, the engagement of theswitching member 47 with the main-body support 6A changes, therebyrotating the flap 35 to switch the document transport route to which thedocument reading route R2 is coupled. This configuration selects anappropriate transport route in accordance with the posture of the mainbody 2 without involving a specific operation of switching the postureof the flap 35; it is therefore possible to provide improved usability.

Next, details of the above configuration will be given below. The flap35 is disposed so as to be rotatable around a flap rotation shaft 35 a(see FIG. 12 ) relative to the first frame 63. The flap 35 can rotate toswitch between the first transport route coupling posture (see FIG. 20 )by which the document reading route R2 is coupled to the turningtransport route R3 and the second transport route coupling posture (FIG.22 ) by which the document reading route R2 is coupled to the unturningtransport route R4.

The transport route switching section 40B is configured to rotate theflap 35 in response to the rotation of the main body 2. As illustratedin FIGS. 19 and 21 , the transport route switching section 40B includesthe switching member 47, a first spring 48, and a second spring 49. Thefirst spring 48 pushes the flap 35 so as to have the first transportroute coupling posture. The second spring 49 pushes the switching member47 in the direction in which the switching member 47 pushes the flap 35so as to have the second transport route coupling posture. The firstspring 48 is an example of the first pushing member, whereas the secondspring 49 is an example of the second pushing member.

The switching member 47 is disposed on the −X-side of the main body 2 soas to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 63 e (see FIGS. 19 and 21 ).The first spring 48 is attached to both a first spring fixture 47 a ofthe switching member 47 and a spring fixture 35 h of the flap 35. Inthis embodiment, the first spring 48 may be a helical extension spring.The second spring 49 is attached to both a second spring fixture 47 b ofthe switching member 47 and a spring fixture 63 f of the first frame 63.In this embodiment, the second spring 49 may also be a helical extensionspring.

When the main body 2 is switched to the regular reading posture, asillustrated in FIG. 19 , the switching member 47 abuts against anabutment 6 b of the main-body support 6A, thereby being suppressed fromrotating counterclockwise by virtue of the pushing force of the secondspring 49. As a result, the first spring 48 applies its pushing force tothe flap 35 clockwise so that the flap 35 has the first transport routecoupling posture as illustrated in FIG. 20 . In this case, the clockwiserotation of the flap 35 is suppressed by a limiter 63 b formed on thefirst frame 63, as illustrated in FIG. 20 .

When the main body 2 that has been in the state of FIG. 21 is rotatedand switched to the booklet reading posture, the switching member 47moves away from the abutment 6 b and rotates counterclockwise by virtueof the pushing force of the second spring 49. In this case, asillustrated in FIG. 21 , the switching member 47 pushes a pushed section47 c of the flap 35, thereby rotating the flap 35 counterclockwise tohave the second transport route coupling posture. The second transportroute coupling posture of the flap 35 is controlled by the abutting ofthe flap 35 on a second frame 64.

When the main body 2 is rotated and switched from the booklet readingposture to the regular reading posture, the switching member 47 abutsagainst the abutment 6 b and then rotates clockwise. As a result, thefirst spring 48 is expanded to apply its pushing force to the flap 35 sothat the flap 35 has the first transport route coupling posture.

In FIGS. 19 and 21 , reference 87 denotes a first posture detectionsensor, and reference 88 denotes a second posture detection sensor. Inthis embodiment, each of the first posture detection sensor 87 and thesecond posture detection sensor 88 may be an optical sensor thatincludes a light emitter (not illustrated) and a light receiver (notillustrated). Each of the first posture detection sensor 87 and thesecond posture detection sensor 88 is configured to detect a detectedsection 35 g of the flap 35. More specifically, when the main body 2 isswitched to the regular reading posture with the flap 35 having thefirst transport route coupling posture, as illustrated in FIG. 19 , thedetected section 35 g enters the optical path of the first posturedetection sensor 87. In response, the controller (not illustrated)determines that the flap 35 has the first transport route couplingposture. When the main body 2 is switched to the booklet reading posturewith the flap 35 having the second transport route coupling posture, asillustrated in FIG. 21 , the detected section 35 g enters the opticalpath of the second posture detection sensor 88. In response, thecontroller (not illustrated) determines that the flap 35 has the secondtransport route coupling posture. This configuration can suppress themain body 2 from transporting a document when the flap 35 has animproper posture, which may be any posture other than the firsttransport route coupling posture and the second transport route couplingposture. It is consequently possible to reduce the risk of the documentstuck inside the main body 2.

Next, the flap 35 and some surrounding components will be describedbelow. As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 , a plurality of turning routeguide members 37, which constitute the exterior of the turning transportroute R3, are disposed downstream of the flap 35. When receiving adocument P from the flap 35, the turning route guide members 37 guidethe document P in the downstream direction. In this embodiment, a singleflap 35 is disposed to extend in the width direction (+X direction),which intersects the transport direction of the document P, whereasthree turning route guide members 37 are arranged side by side in thewidth direction (+X direction).

Each turning route guide member 37 has, at the ±X-ends, holes 37 a intowhich corresponding shafts 65 a formed in a third frame 65 are inserted.This configuration allows the turning route guide members 37 to rotatearound the shafts 65 a relative to the third frame 65. The third frame65 may be a base component of a third unit 5 of the main body 2. Each ofthe flap 35 and the turning route guide members 37 has a plurality ofteeth arranged in the width direction (+X direction). The lower ends ofthe teeth of the flap 35 engage with the upper ends of the teeth of theturning route guide members 37. Further, at least some of the teetharranged in the width direction are coupled together.

The teeth of the flap 35 include: a plurality of second ribs 35 d thatprotrude upstream (upward on the page of FIG. 12 ) from a base 35 cextending in the width direction (+X direction); and a plurality ofthird ribs 35 e that protrude downstream (downward on the page of FIG.12 ) from the base 35 c. The teeth of each turning route guide member 37include fourth ribs 37 b and 37 c. The fourth ribs 37 c are longer thanthe fourth ribs 37 b in the transport direction. In this embodiment, thecomponents denoted by references 37 c and 37 d are collectively referredto as the fourth ribs.

The flap 35 is coupled to each turning route guide member 37 viacouplers 38 (see FIGS. 13 to 15, 17, and 18 ), each of which includes aprojection 35 b formed on the flap 35 and a groove 37 g formed in thefourth ribs 37 c of the turning route guide member 37. Coupling the flap35 to each turning route guide member 37 in this manner provides aneffect that will be described below. If a flap 35 is deformed outwardfrom the turning transport route R3 by receiving force from a document,a reverse step may be formed between the flap 35 and each turning routeguide member 37, in which case an upstream portion of the document mightbe stuck. In this embodiment, however, when the flap 35 is deformed byreceiving force from a document, each turning route guide member 37 isalso deformed together because the downstream portions of the flap 35are partly coupled to the upstream portions of each turning route guidemember 37. This configuration therefore can suppress such reverse stepsfrom being formed, thereby helping to smoothly feed a document to theturning route guide member 37.

Some other effects of the couplers 38 will be described below. Asdescribed above, the main body 2 includes a first unit 3, a second unit4, and the third unit 5. The second unit 4 is operable or closable bybeing rotated relative to the first unit 3 and, when in a closed state,forms the document reading route R2 with the first unit 3. The thirdunit 5 is operable or closable by being rotated relative to both thefirst unit 3 and the second unit 4 and, when in a closed state, formsthe turning transport route R3 with both the first unit 3 and the secondunit 4. In such configurations, when the third unit 5 is opened, some ofthe couplers that couple the flap 35 to each turning route guide member37 may be damaged because the flap 35 is disposed inside the first unit3, and the turning route guide member 37 is disposed inside the thirdunit 5. In this configuration, however, each coupler 38 includes theprojection 35 b formed in the flap 35 and the groove 37 g formed in thefourth ribs 37 c of the turning route guide members 37. Thus, when thethird unit 5 is opened, as illustrated in FIG. 15 , each turning routeguide member 37 rotates relative to the third unit 5, and theprojections 35 b slide along the corresponding grooves 37 g. Thisconfiguration therefore reduces the risk of the coupler 38 beingdamaged.

A configuration of ribs forming the exterior of the turning transportroute R3 will be described below. As illustrated in FIG. 12 , the firstframe 63 has two apertures 63 a via which the second lower rollers 21are exposed. The first frame 63 includes, as an example of upstreamribs, a plurality of first ribs 63 c that are arranged side by side inthe width direction (+X direction) and extend in the transport directionof the document. The first frame 63 further includes three limiters 63 bthat are arranged in the width direction (+X direction) and control thefirst transport route coupling posture of the flap 35. When the flap 35forms the turning transport route R3, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 16, the first ribs 63 c formed in the first frame 63 and the second ribs35 d formed in the flap 35 are alternately arranged in the widthdirection (+X direction).

The second ribs 35 d formed in the flap 35 include ribs denoted byreferences 35 d-1 and 35 d-2. The second ribs 35 d-1 are longer than thesecond ribs 35 d-2 in the transport direction. The second ribs 35 d-2are formed in relation to the respective apertures 63 a in the widthdirection (+X direction).

FIG. 17 illustrates the positional relationship between the second ribs35 d-1 and second upper rollers 22 when the flap 35 forms the unturningtransport route R4. Since the second ribs 35 d-1 extend so as to partlycover the second upper rollers 22, the second ribs 35 d-1 help thesecond upper rollers 22 appropriately transport the document in thedownward direction along the unturning transport route R4 even when adocument is curled upward. FIG. 18 illustrates the positionalrelationship between the second ribs 35 d-2 and the second upper rollers22 when the flap 35 forms the unturning transport route R4. Since thesecond ribs 35 d-2 do not cover the second upper rollers 22, they do notinterfere with each other.

When a document is being transported along the turning transport routeR3, the first surface of the document is guided by the first frame 63(an example of an upstream guide member) disposed upstream of the flap35 and then also guided by both the flap 35 and the turning route guidemembers 37. After that, the first surface is further guided by the thirdframe 65 (an example of a downstream guide member) disposed downstreamof the turning route guide members 37. The third frame 65 includes aplurality of fifth ribs 65 b arranged side by side in the widthdirection (+X direction); the fifth ribs 65 b are an example ofdownstream ribs extending in the transport direction of the document. Ina direction normal to the first and second surfaces of the document,each of the first ribs 63 c and the fifth ribs 65 b is lower than any ofthe second ribs 35 d and the third ribs 35 e forming the teeth of theflap 35 and also lower than any of the fourth ribs 37 b and 37 c formingthe teeth of the turning route guide members 37.

In this embodiment, the numbers of first ribs 63 c, second ribs 35 d,third ribs 35 e, and fourth ribs 37 b and 37 c may be the same as oneanother and are each greater than the number of fifth ribs 65 b.

Some other effects of the foregoing second embodiment will be describedbelow. As illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 22 , a flap rotation shaft 35 athat forms the rotation axis of the flap 35 is disposed adjacent to afirst ejection port 75 (the +F-side) with respect to the documentreading route R2 in the direction (+F direction) normal to the first andsecond surfaces of the document being transported along the documentreading route R2 (see FIGS. 5 and 6 ). Furthermore, the flap rotationshaft 35 a is disposed adjacent to the first ejection port 75 (+F-side),in the +F direction, with respect to the document nip locations of thefirst transport roller pair 16 and the second transport roller pair 20.Moreover, the flap rotation shaft 35 a is disposed adjacent to the firstejection port 75 (+F-side), in the +F direction, with respect to thelocations at which the first reader 32 reads the document and at whichthe second reader 33 reads the document. Likewise, as illustrated inFIGS. 19 and 21 , a rotation shaft 63 e that forms the rotation axis ofthe switching member 47 is disposed adjacent to the first ejection port75 (the +F-side) with respect to the document reading route R2 in the +Fdirection.

Third Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 23 and 24 , a third embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described below regarding a configuration ofselectively coupling a document reading route R2 to either a turningtransport route R3 or an unturning transport route R4. FIGS. 23 and 24are each a side-sectional view of a document transport route inside ascanner 1A according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, aportion of a main-body support 6B is formed as a route-forming section 6d that forms the exterior of a turning transport route R3. When a mainbody 2 is switched to a regular reading posture, as illustrated in FIG.23 , the route-forming section 6 d couples the document reading route R2to the turning transport route R3. When the main body 2 is switched to abooklet reading posture, as illustrated in FIG. 24 , the route-formingsection 6 d couples the document reading route R2 to the unturningtransport route R4. This configuration selects an appropriate transportroute in accordance with the posture of the main body 2 withoutinvolving a specific operation of switching the posture of the flap 34;it is therefore possible to provide improved usability.

Fourth Embodiment

With reference to FIG. 25 , a fourth embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described below regarding a configuration ofselectively coupling a document reading route R2 to either a turningtransport route R3 or an unturning transport route R4. FIG. 25 is aside-sectional view of a document transport route inside a scanner 1Baccording to the fourth embodiment. The scanner 1B is configured suchthat a main body 2 supported by a main-body support 6C is not rotatablerelative to the main-body support 6C unlike the scanners 1 and 1Aaccording to the foregoing first to third embodiments. In thisembodiment, the scanner 1B includes an exposing/hiding unit 90 insteadof the main-body support 6 in the first embodiment or the main-bodysupport 6A in the second embodiment. The exposing/hiding unit 90 isrotatable around a rotation shaft 90 a. By rotating the exposing/hidingunit 90, the +Y-side of the main body 2 is exposed or hidden, and asecond ejection port 76 via which a document P being transported alongan unturning transport route R4 is to be ejected is also exposed orhidden. The alternate long and two short dashes line and reference 90-1denote the exposing/hiding unit 90 in the exposing state.

The scanner 1B according to this embodiment differs from the abovescanners 1 and 1A only in including the above exposing/hiding unit 90instead of the main-body support 6 in the first embodiment. The scanner1B thus also includes a transport route switching section 40A describedin the first embodiment. The method of switching the posture of the mainbody 2 in the first embodiment may be applied to that of opening orclosing the exposing/hiding unit 90. The scanner 1B also includes a flap34 described in the first embodiment, which is rotatable and forms theexterior of a turning transport route R3. When the exposing/hiding unit90 is closed, the flap 34 has a first transport route coupling postureby which the document reading route R2 is coupled to the turningtransport route R3. When the exposing/hiding unit 90 is open, the flap34 has a second transport route coupling posture by which the documentreading route R2 is coupled to the unturning transport route R4, asindicated by the alternate long and two short dashes line and reference34-1. A transport route switching section in this embodiment may beidentical to the transport route switching section 40A described withreference to FIGS. 7 to 10 . The switching member 41 is configured toengage with both the exposing/hiding unit 90 and the flap 34. Inresponse to the opening or closing of the exposing/hiding unit 90, theengagement of the switching member 41 with the exposing/hiding unit 90changes, thereby rotating the flap 34 to switch the transport route towhich the document reading route R2 is coupled. This configurationselects an appropriate transport route in accordance with the posture ofthe main body 2 without involving a specific operation of switching theposture of the flap 34; it is therefore possible to provide improvedusability.

Instead of the flap 34 in the first embodiment, the scanner 1B accordingto this embodiment may include a flap 35 and a transport route switchingsection 40B in the second embodiment. In addition, the exposing/hidingunit 90 may include a route-forming section 6 d in the third embodimentwhich has been described with reference to the FIGS. 23 and 24 .

The present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing first to fourthembodiments and may be modified in various ways within the scope of theclaims. Obviously, these modifications fall within the scope of theclaims. For example, although a medium transport apparatus is applied toimage reading apparatuses in the foregoing first to fourth embodiments,it may also be applied to recording apparatuses that record informationon documents. An example of such recording apparatuses is ink jetprinters equipped with recording heads that discharge ink ontodocuments. By replacing the second readers 33 in the scanners 1, 1A, and1B in the foregoing first to fourth embodiments with recording heads,recording apparatuses can be realized.

What is claimed is:
 1. A medium transport apparatus comprising: amain-body support mounted on an installation surface of the mediumtransport apparatus; and a main body supported by the main-body support,the main body including a first transport route along which a medium isto be transported, a second transport route that includes a turningroute by which the medium being transported is to be turned upward andfrom which the medium that was turned by the turning route is to beejected, the second transport route being disposed downstream of thefirst transport route, a third transport route from which the mediumbeing transported is to be ejected without being turned, the thirdtransport route being disposed downstream of the first transport route,and a transport route switching section that switches a medium transportroute to which the first transport route is coupled, between the secondtransport route and the third transport route, wherein the main body isrotatably attached to the main-body support and is switchable between afirst posture and a second posture by being rotated, an angle betweenthe first transport route and the installation surface when the mainbody is switched to the first posture is greater than the angle betweenthe first transport route and the installation surface when the mainbody is switched to the second posture, the turning route has anexterior formed by a route-forming member, the route-forming memberbeing rotatable, when the main body is switched to the first posture,the route-forming member has a first transport route coupling posture bywhich the first transport route is coupled to the second transportroute, when the main body is switched to the second posture, theroute-forming member has a second transport route coupling posture bywhich the first transport route is coupled to the third transport route,the transport route switching section has a switching member thatengages with both the main-body support and the route-forming member,the switching member being a rotatable member, and in response toswitching between the first posture and the second posture of the mainbody, engagement of the switching member with the main-body supportchanges to rotate the route-forming member and to switch the mediumtransport route to which the first transport route is coupled.
 2. Themedium transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transportroute switching section includes a first pushing member and a secondpushing member, the first pushing member being configured to push theroute-forming member so as to have the first transport route couplingposture, the second pushing member being configured to push theswitching member in a direction in which the switching member pushes theroute-forming member so as to have the second transport route couplingposture, pushing force of the second pushing member is greater thanpushing force of the first pushing member, when the main body isswitched to the first posture, the switching member abuts against themain-body support and does not push the route-forming member, and theroute-forming member receives the pushing force of the first pushingmember and has the first transport route coupling posture, and when themain body is switched to the second posture, the switching member movesaway from the main-body support and pushes the route-forming memberagainst the pushing force of the first pushing member, and theroute-forming member has the second transport route coupling posture. 3.The medium transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thetransport route switching section includes a first pushing member and asecond pushing member, the first pushing member being configured to pushthe route-forming member so as to have the first transport routecoupling posture, the second pushing member being configured to push theswitching member in a direction in which the switching member pushes theroute-forming member so as to have the second transport route couplingposture, the first pushing member is attached to both the switchingmember and the route-forming member, when the main body is switched tothe first posture, the switching member abuts against the main-bodysupport, and the route-forming member receives the pushing force of thefirst pushing member and has the first transport route coupling posture,and when the main body is switched to the second posture, the switchingmember moves away from the main-body support and pushes theroute-forming member, and the route-forming member has the secondtransport route coupling posture.
 4. The medium transport apparatusaccording to claim 3, further comprising a turning route guide memberthat receives a medium from the route-forming member and guides themedium in a downstream direction, the turning route guide member being amember forming the exterior of the turning route, the turning routeguide member being disposed downstream of the route-forming member,wherein each of the route-forming member and the turning route guidemember has a plurality of teeth arranged in a width direction, the widthdirection intersecting a transport direction of the medium, and lowerends of the teeth of the route-forming member engage with upper ends ofthe teeth of the turning route guide member, and at least some of theteeth arranged in the width direction are coupled together.
 5. Themedium transport apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the main bodyincludes a first unit, a second unit, and a third unit, the second unitbeing operable or closable by being rotated relative to the first unit,the second unit being configured to form the first transport route withthe first unit when in a closed state, the third unit being operable orclosable by being rotated relative to both the first unit and the secondunit, the third unit being configured to form the second transport routewith both the first unit and the second unit when in a closed state, theroute-forming member is disposed inside the first unit, the turningroute guide member is disposed inside the third unit so as to berotatable relative to the third unit, the route-forming member iscoupled to the turning route guide member via a coupler, the couplerincludes a projection and a groove, the projection being formed in oneof the route-forming member and the turning route guide member, thegroove being formed in the other of the route-forming member and theturning route guide member, the projection being inserted into thegroove, and when the third unit is opened or closed by being rotatedrelative to the first unit, the turning route guide member rotatesrelative to the third unit, and the projection slides along the groove.6. The medium transport apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when thefirst transport route is coupled to the second transport route, a firstsurface of a medium is guided by an upstream guide member disposedupstream of the route-forming member, then guided by both theroute-forming member and the turning route guide member, after which thefirst surface is guided by a downstream guide member disposed downstreamof the turning route guide member, the first surface of the medium beingone surface of the medium, the upstream guide member has a plurality ofupstream ribs that extend in the transport direction of the medium andthat are arranged in the width direction, the downstream guide memberhas a plurality of downstream ribs that extend in the transportdirection of the medium and that are arranged in the width direction,and in a direction normal to the surface of the medium, the upstreamribs and the downstream ribs are lower than the teeth of theroute-forming member and also lower than the teeth of the turning routeguide member.
 7. The medium transport apparatus according to claim 2,wherein in a direction normal to a surface of a medium being transportedalong the first transport route, a rotational center of theroute-forming member is positioned adjacent to an ejection port withrespect to the first transport route, the medium to be ejected from thethird transport route via the ejection port.
 8. The medium transportapparatus according to claim 2, wherein in a direction normal to asurface of a medium being transported along the first transport route, arotational center of the switching member is positioned apart from thefirst transport route and adjacent to the turning route.
 9. A mediumtransport apparatus comprising: a main-body support mounted on aninstallation surface of the medium transport apparatus; and a main bodysupported by the main-body support, the main body including a firsttransport route along which a medium is to be transported, a secondtransport route that includes a turning route by which the medium beingtransported is to be turned upward and from which the medium that wasturned by the turning route is to be ejected, the second transport routebeing disposed downstream of the first transport route, and a thirdtransport route from which the medium being transported is to be ejectedwithout being turned, the third transport route being disposeddownstream of the first transport route, wherein the main body isrotatably attached to the main-body support and is switchable between afirst posture and a second posture by being rotated, an angle betweenthe first transport route and the installation surface when the mainbody is switched to the first posture is greater than the angle betweenthe first transport route and the installation surface when the mainbody is switched to the second posture, a portion of the body support isa route-forming section that forms an exterior of the turning route,when the main body is switched to the first posture, the route-formingmember couples the first transport route to the second transport route,and when the main body is switched to the second posture, theroute-forming member couples the first transport route to the thirdtransport route.
 10. A medium transport apparatus comprising: a mainbody that is a base component of the medium transport apparatus; and anexposing/hiding unit that is opened to expose or is closed to hide aportion of the main body, the main body including a first transportroute along which a medium is to be transported, a second transportroute that includes a turning route by which the medium beingtransported is to be turned upward and from which the medium that wasturned by the turning route is to be ejected, the second transport routebeing disposed downstream of the first transport route, a thirdtransport route from which the medium being transported is to be ejectedwithout being turned, the third transport route being disposeddownstream of the first transport route, and a transport route switchingsection that switches a medium transport route to which the firsttransport route is coupled, between the second transport route and thethird transport route, wherein the exposing/hiding unit exposes or hidesan ejection port for the medium to be transported along the thirdtransport route, the route-forming member is rotatable and forms anexterior of the turning route, when the exposing/hiding unit is closed,the route-forming member has a first transport route coupling posture bywhich the first transport route is coupled to the second transportroute, when the exposing/hiding unit is opened, the route-forming memberhas a second transport route coupling posture by which the firsttransport route is coupled to the third transport route, the transportroute switching section has a switching member that engages with boththe exposing/hiding unit and the route-forming member, the switchingmember being a rotatable member, and in response to opening or closingof the exposing/hiding unit, engagement of the switching member with theexposing/hiding unit changes to rotate the route-forming member and toswitch the medium transport route to which the first transport route iscoupled.
 11. An image reading apparatus comprising: the medium transportapparatus according to claim 1; and a reader that reads a medium, thereader being disposed on the first transport route in the mediumtransport apparatus.